ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. kid — to tease
  3. club — for dancing
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. capital — money
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. press — newspapers
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. club — for golf
  11. shower — to wash
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. content — happy
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. club — a group
  18. current — of water
  19. capital — a city
  20. shower — rain
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. kid — child
  23. press — to push
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com